My first bike: Helmet & California License Question

Uh, how does that tell us if the person posting from Canadian account
who claims to have passed "the DMV test" on a Wing was in fact talking
about the California DMV test and not, say, the British Columbia DMV
test?

 

You should find how to prepare for the California DMV riding test here
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-training/motorcycle-test

 

That's not what that page shows. That shows something very much like the
MSF final test I took.

 

I have posted the link on my FAQ.

 

That's bullshit. In the rest of the country, they got t he states to
modify their tests and rider handbooks to match what they teach.

I see the MSF as being completely inept at implementing their clever
scheme. In the rest of the country they're trying to make the test more
reasonable and reflective of real-world situations.

 

Uh huh, I'm sure that the MSF created the test. So howcum they have
so much more pull in California than they do in the other 49 states?
Or are the tests "too hard" there too?

Is it just me who sees that you didn't read the driver's handbook
which says "NOTE: Driving tests for holders of out-of-state or U.S.
territory licenses are normally waived. "

Howcum they didn't waive it for you? Did you piss somebody off? Or
did you just not have a valid license?

As for making "hundreds of millions of dollars", even if _all_ of the
migrants into California who ride motorcycles take the course (i.e.
none managed to either get the test waived or pass the keyhole test),
and even if _all_ of the fees go to MSF (meaning that the instructors
do it for free and the facility donates the space), that works out to
about a million dollars a year.

 

That's a very intersting site but it has nothing to do with
California. Note that it says that 39 states have adopted the test it
addresses. California is not one of them.

 

Did later find http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/pgs12thru16.htm which
says that the tests are normally waived for applicants with valid out
of state licenses, but that they are not required to be waived.

 

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#two500

This suggests that you have to do the vision test and the
written, but not the driving test when you move a drivers
license. Since a motorcycle license is really just a drivers
license with an extra couple of letters on it, I believe it's
the same thing.

If I had a few minutes, I'd call the DMV and find out for sure.

-Patti

 

I do not know the statistics. But, I also have passed the test on a GoldWing.
I also did it on a 50 cc scooter and the GoldWing was easier. Just go to a
Wing Ding or a gathering of BMW riders and see all the people who can pass
the test. The CHP does the test on their Harleys when they had Harleys.

 

I just called the DMV, spoke to a senior technician, and got
an answer:

"If you move to California and have a valid drivers license from
another state, we will issue you the same class of license that
you had in the previous state. You only have to take the written
and vision tests."

Problem solved.

-Patti

 

That wasn't the case in 1971, when I transferred my NY license. I'm
glad to hear that they fixed it. Tks.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

It doesn't, for the simple reason that the keyhole test predates MSF.

 

OK. We're on line at the DMV. You present your license, the clerk
calls up your driving record, and it's been clean for the last 20 years.
The clerk waives the driving test for you.

I'm right behind you, and witness the entire transaction. It's now my
turn. I present my license and the clerk does the same thing. He finds
out I've only been licensed for 3 years, have totalled 2 bikes and have
almost enough points against my license to have it suspended by my home
state. Do you really want the clerk to waive the tests for me, too?


Rich, Urban Biker

 

Cool--thanks for going the extra mile.

 

Talk is cheap.

Especially from someone whose IP address is from New York.

I seriously doubt you did pass the California test, 2500 miles away from
where you currently reside, and, I doubly doubt you did it on BOTH a 50cc
scooter (which I believe is below the limit on what California accepts
during the test but we can check on that) and on a GoldWIng.

In fact, I took the CA DMV test on an american-flagged space shuttle and
passed with flying colors!

 

On Thu, 6 Sep 2007 20:42:14 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:

In my case, I had so many tickets from the "old" state, that I told them I
never had a license (at 40, ha!) ... so I took both the cage and the
motorcycle tests.

I learned the hard way.

 

What did you learn the hard way?

Lots of tickets, think a simple riding test is impossible, hmm.

 

They recognized a sucker when they saw one? <g,d&r>

 

First off, tickets for speeding don't mean you're a "bad" rider - they just
mean you're a fast rider. Especially if you are in the Gestapo State (those
of you in that state know which it is). On average, you'll get dozens more
tickets from speed traps in the Gestapo state than in any other state in
the nation, based on published statistics.

Having said that, you actually think this California DMV riding test is
"simple"? Did you ever try it? I'd bet most of you couldn't pass it on a
bicycle. Before you say "I could pass it on a Gold Wing with my eyes
blindfolded", just try it ONCE. Just once. With an observer grading you.

I'll bet you'll change your mind in less time than it took you to post this
message, after that experience.